Machine for operating on shoes



Sept. 10, .1940.

G. CLARKE 2,214,043

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOES Filed Nov. 3, 1939 v 2 Sheets-Sheet lSept. 1.0, 1940. e. CLARKE MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SHOES Filed Nov; 3,1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vaz kinds of stitchdown shoes.

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOESGeorge Clarke, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Borough of Flemington, N .1, a corporation of New JerseyApplication November 3, 1939, Serial No. 302,663 In Great BritainDecember 8, 1938 17 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating on shoes, and in someaspects has more particularly in view the provision of improvements inmachines for lasting the heel ends of shoes, the invention being hereinillustrated as applied to a heel-end lasting machine of the typedisclosed in United States Letters Patent No 1,949,539, granted on March6, 1934, on an application of J. Gouldbourn, F. Ricks and W. T. B.Roberts. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is notlimited to machines of that particular type and that in some of itsnovel aspects also it is not limited to lasting machines.

A machine of the type disclosed in the abovementioned Letters Patentcomprises a heel band for embracing and clamping an upper about the heelend of a last, wipers for wiping the margin of the heel end of the upperinwardly over an insole or heel-seat piece onthe last, and a wcrlrsupport or jack mounted for swinging movement in a direction lengthwiseof the last from an initialgwork-receiving position to present the heelend: of the last and upper within the heel band prior to the starting ofthe power operation of the machine, the jack including a post upwardlymovable relatively to other portions of the jack to carry the work intocontact with a holddown which determines the position of the shoeheightwise relatively to the wipers. A machine of this character issometimes used for lasting the heel ends of shoes the uppers of whichare loose on their lasts, or at all events have not been previouslysubjected to the usual assembling and pulling-over operations, such asthe uppers of some Under those conditions it has been customary for theoperator to adjust the heel end of the upper heightwise relatively tothe last and to maintain it at the correct height by holding it with hisfingers in locations near the forward end of the heel seat until hestarts the power operation of the machine. To relieve the operator ofthe necessity of thus controlling the upper, which sometimes involvesmore or less difficulty and inconvenience, machines of the type shown inthe previously mentioned Letters Patent have been provided heretoforewith an auxiliary clamping device for clamping the heel end of the upperin proper relation to the last prior to the workpresenting movement ofthe jack, comprising an auxiliary heel band carried by the jack andarranged to occupy a position between the upper and the main heel bandin the lasting operation, as disclosed in United States Letters PatentNo.

' 2,207,819, granted on July 16, 1940, on an application of J W. Prattand W. A. Barker. Such an auxiliary heel band also contributes to theproper shaping of the heel end of the upper by clamping it smoothly tothe contour of the last about its heel end before it is subjected to theheavier conforming pressure of the main heel band.

An object of the present invention is to afford still better insurancethat in operating, for example, on work of the above-mentioned characterthe heel end of the upper will be smoothly and tightly conformed to thecontour of the last and will be otherwise properly lasted. Theinvention, in one aspect, accordingly provides a construction in whichan auxiliary heel-end clamping device, utilized for the purposes abovedescribed, has combined therewith means for applying to the upper a pulllengthwise of the last. As herein illustrated, the'movable jack carriesnot only an auxiliary heel band constructed and operated as disclosed inthe last-mentioned Letters Patent, but also a toe gripper which gripsand pulls the upper at its toe end, the construction shown being furthersuch that the toe gripper is conveniently operated by the same memberwhich is moved by the operator to apply the auxiliary band to the shoeand'begins its pull on the upper before the upper is clamped by theauxiliary band. The toe gripper thus contributes not only to the properclamping of the upper about the heel end of the last by the auxiliaryband, but also by its pull and its positioning action on the forepartand waist portions of the upper to the proper lasting of the margin ofits heel end inwardly over the insole or heel-seat piece by the wipers.The invention further provides a construction such that both the toegripper and the clamping device or band on the jack partake of theabove-mentionedupward movement of the jack post to position the work,and also partake of certain tipping movements of the last for whichprovision is aiforded in machines of the illustrated type.

In the means for gripping and pulling the toe end of the upper novelfeatures of the invention are also to be recognized, including provisionfor adjusting the toe gripper to different positions relatively to thelast. It is to be understood that with respect to these among otherfeatures the invention is not necessarily limited in utility to heel-endlasting machines or to machines having an auxiliary heel-end clampingdevice or band in combination with a main heel band.

The above and other features of the invention, including various noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts, will now be moreparticularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings andthereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in left-hand side elevation of a portion of a machineof the type illustrated in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No.1,949,539, provided with mechanism in which the present invention isembodied, showing the upper held under tension by the toe gripper andits heel end clamped by the auxiliary heel band with parts of thestructure broken away;

Fig. 2 is a View in front elevation of a portion of the structure shownnear the lower end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view mainly in front elevation of the auxiliary heel bandand parts associated therewith, with the parts in the same positions asin Fig. 1 but with the position of the shoe indicated diagrammaticallyby broken lines, the toe gripper and its operating mechanism beingomitted; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a last pin on the jack, and partsassociated therewith, in a plane extending heightwise and laterally ofthe shoe.

A machine of the type disclosed in the abovementioned Letters Patent No,1,949,539 is provided with a shoe-supporting jack l which, similarly tothe disclosure of United States Letters Patent No. 1,558,737, granted onOctober 27, 1925,

on an application of R. F. McFeely, is mounted to swing from an initialforwardly inclined workreceiving position (Fig. 1) prior to the startingof the power operation of the machine to carry the shoe toward a heelband 2 which embraces and clamps the upper about the heel end of thelast, the jack including a post 3 which is moved upward relatively toother portions of the jack also prior to the starting of the machine toposition the work against a holddown in proper relation to heel-lastingwipers, the holddown and the wipers being omitted from the presentdrawings. The jack is provided on the post 3 with a last pin t arrangedto enter-the usual spindle hole in the heel end of the last. Asdisclosed in the abovementioned Letters Patent No. 2,207,819, the lastpin in the construction shown is fast in a block 5 (Fig. 4) which ismounted in a transverse guideway 6 formed in another block 1 supportedon the upper end of the post 3. A screw 8 extending through a slot 9 inthe block 5 and threaded at one end in the block 1 retains the block 5in place while permitting it to rock and also to move bodily with thelast pin in directions widthwise of the shoe. The block 1 is mounted inarcuate guideways 19 in the post 3 for movement about an axis extendinglaterally of the shoe and located substantially at the bottom of theheel end of the shoe. Accordingly, the operator, before starting thepower operation of the machine, may by control of the forepart of theshoe and last tip them, together with the last pin, either about theabovementioned axis or in one direction or the other laterally of theshoe, or may move them bodily to the left or the right, to position themin better relation to the lasting instrumentalities. The top of the coneof the last rests on a plate I2 through which the pin l extends, thisplate being supported on the block 5 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4and being held detachably thereon by a pair of leaf springs 13 which arefast on the block and extend into grooves formed in the opposite sidesof the plate. It will, therefore, be evident that the plate l2 partakesof any of the above-mentioned positioning movements of the last pin 4and the last mounted thereon.

As further disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,207,819, there is supportedby the jack I an auxiliary heel band It for clamping the heel and of theupper against the end and side faces of the last when the jack is in itswork-receiving position and for holding the upper thus clamped as thejack and its post 3 are moved to carry the work into position to beoperated upon by the main heel band 2 and the wipers. The auxiliary heelband and the mechanism for applying it to the shoe are supported on theabove-mentioned plate i2, so that the band will partake of any of theabove-mentioned positioning movements of the last and shoe withoutaltering its relation thereto. For this purpose the plate 12 has securedto it a depending carrier I5 to which is secured a casting It providedat its opposite sides with guideways l8 for a frame l9 which, as viewedfrom above, is substantially U-shaped with its two limbs extending in aforward direction, the frame being bolted to the casting 16 withprovision for upward or downward adjustment along the guide ways l8. Theforward end of each limb of the frame l9 has thereon a boss 20, andbushings 2| extending into the two bosses provide a pivotal connectionbetween the frame i9 and a second somewhat similarly shaped frame 22 theforwardly extending limbs of which lie at the inner sides of the limbsof the frame 19 but are inclined somewhat upwardly in rearwarddirections, The frame 22 is provided with an upwardly and forwardlycurved lug 23 formed on the middle portion of the web which joins therear ends of its limbs, this lug being of a hollow and substantiallyrectangular shape as viewed from the front (Fig. 3). A pin 25 secured inthe opposite sides of the lug 23 provides a pivotal support for adepending lever 25, the pin being normally supported at a definiteheight, in order to prevent the frame 22 and the lever 25 from falling,by a connection hereinafter described between the lug 23 and levers 31supporting the auxiliary heel band M.

The lever 25 has mounted therein, below thepin 2 a plunger 29 controlledby a spring 30 and bearing against a face 31 on the frame 22, so thatthe spring 30 may swing the lever 25 forwardly about the pin 24. Theauxiliary heel band M is applied to the shoe by rearward swingingmovement of the lever 25, effected by means hereinafter described. Forthus operating the band by the lever there is rotatably mounted in anupstanding ear 33 on the lug 23 of the frame 22 a rod 35 which may movelengthwise relatively to the ear 33 a short distance determined by oneor the other of two flanges 34 formed on the rod at the opposite sidesof the ear. The opposite end portions of the rod 35 are provided withright and. left threads engaged by corresponding threads formed on studs35 which are swiveled in the levers 31 supporting the front ends of theband it. By means of a knob 38 the rod 35 may be turned to adjust thefront ends of the band toward or from each other by swinging the leversfirst lengthwise of the shoe about axes at their lower ends to cause theband to clamp the upper against the end face of the last and thenlaterally of the shoe about the studs 36 to force the forward ends ofthe band inwardlyagainst the sides of the shoe. The lower ends of thelevers are forked and are pivotal'ly connected by pins 40" to theenlarged heads of. studs 39 which have hollow portions movablelengthwise and also rotatable in the previously mentioned bushings 2'].Springs 42 in the hollow portions of the studs 39 tendto force the studsinwardly toward each other. Between the inner ends of the studs and theopposite sides of the lever 25 are links 4! having rounded ends seatedin recesses formed in the studs and the lever. These links are arrangedtoserve as a toggle between the studs andthe lever, the parts being norma-lly so positioned by the spring 30 and the springs 42 that the linksextend forwardly from the studs 39- at a substantial angle to eachother. By reason of the resistance of the springs 42 a rearward pullonthe-lower end of the lever 25 first causes the lever to swing about theinner ends of the links M as a fulcrum; so that through the pin 24 itswings the frame 22 forwardly about the bushings 2 l' and through therod 35 swings the levers 31 forwardly about the axes of the studs 39 toapply the band" l-4 against the end face of theupper. Thereafter, inresponse to resistance of the shoe to further forward swinging movementsof the levers 3'1, the lever 25 swings about the pinand straightens moreor less the toggle provided by the links 4|, thereby swinging the levers3-labout the studs 35' to force the forward ends of the band inwardlyagainst the sides of the shoe.

The upper endsof the levers 3T are forked and carry pins 44' on' whichare pivotally mounted blocks 48 fastened to the forward ends of the bandl4; This band is long enough to extend well forwardly of the heel-breastline of a largesizeshoebeyond the portion of the upper clamped by themainband 2; and the upper edges of the band M at its forward ends arearranged to press theupper against the sides of the last almost up tothe edge of the insole or" heel-seat piece on the bottomof the last, theframe [9' being adjustableas described to position the band in the mostappropriate relation to shoes having heel ends of differentheig'hts. Therear portion of the band is arranged to extend far enough downwardly toengage the upper close to the top edge ofthe' counter and thereforeholds this portion of the upper materials against movement away from theend face of the last during the lasting operation. This affordsincreased insurance that the wings of the counter will not be displacedin a downward direction by the action of the lastingwipers. The bandconsists of an inner layer 43 of' thin flexible leather backed up by alayer '45 of thin resilient metal, and accordingly the band as a wholeis so formed as to adjust itself readily to the heel ends of lasts ofdifferent sizes and shapes. To increase the flexibility of the band l4,it is so formed as to expose a portion of the upper located above aportion of the band which extends continuously around the end of theupper near the top edge of the counter. To prevent the main band 2 fromforming creases in the upper thus exposed by urging it forwardly alongthe sides of thelast, the band I4 is provided with a pair of wings 46extending rearwardly of its front end portions and arranged to bepressed against the upper by the main band 2 as. the latter closesaround the end of the shoe. The metal layer 45 of the band I4 is soshaped that the upper edges of the portions of the band at the sides ofthe shoe flare somewhat outward relatively to the lower edges before theband en-' gages the shoe, and the connections between the band and thelevers 31 are positioned near the upper edges of the band. Accordingly,the lower edges of the band at the sides of the shoe engage the upperbefore their upper edges and the area of contact of the band with thesides of the upper progressively spreads toward the edge of the lastbottom as the levers 31 are swung inwardly. This serves further toprevent the formation of wrinkles in the sides of the upper. To assistin guiding the levers 31 there are provided yokes '4'! which are formedon the frame 22 and partially embrace the lower arms of the levers.

For operating the lever 25 to apply the band I4 to the shoe as abovedescribed, there is connected to the lower end of the levera wire cable49 which extends partly around a small pulley mounted on a downwardlyextending portion of the casting l6 and is connected at its lower end,by means hereinafter described, to a treadle 52 pivoted on the frame ofthe machine. Accord ingly, the lower end of the lever 25 is swungrearwardly by depression of the treadle. To hold the band in clampingrelation to the upper when the operator releases the treadle 52, thereis provided on the lever 25 an abutment 53 engaged by a latch 54 formedon a lever 55 which is pivotally mounted on the frame l9, this leverbeing controlled by a spring-pressed plunger 56 which tends to swing thelatch upwardly but is yieldable to permit the abutment 53 to pass overthe latch. There is further provided means for retracting the latch 54to release the bandapplying mechanism and permit the band to return toits initial position as the jack is swung forwardly after the operationof the machine on the shoe. For this purpose the jack I has fast thereonan arm 57 on the front-end portion of which is supported alatch-releasing lever 59 pivotally mounted on a pin 60 on the arm. Thelever 59 has an upwardly and rear- Wardly curved arm arranged to engagethe lower end of the lever 55 and thus to retract the latch 54 inresponse to the forward swinging movement of the jack. Pivotally mountedon a pin 52 on a forwardly extending arm of the lever 59 is a downwardlyextending tubular casing 54 in which is mounted a plunger BGengaged atits upper end by a spring 58 in the casing. Slidingly mounted in a lug'10 on the casing 84 is a rod 12 arranged to bear at its upper endagainst the arm 51 and controlled by a spring 74 mounted between the lugand a nut 16 on the rod. Accordingly, the spring 14 tends to swing thecasing 54 in a rearward direction, such movement of the casing beinglimited by a stop screw 18 which is threaded in a lug 8!] on the casingand engages the arm 51. This screw is so adjusted that when the jack isin its forwardly inclined position the lower end of the plunger 66 liesin front of a plate 82 fast on the frame of the machine. It will beunderstood that as the jack is swung rearwardly the front end of the arm51 swings both rearwardly and upwardly, and in this movement of the armthe spring 14 may yield by reason of engagement of the plate 82 with therear face of the plunger 66 until the plunger has been lifted far enoughto snap over the top of the plate. When the jack is swung forwardlyafter the lasting operation, the lever 59 is swung in a counterclockwisedirection (Fig. 1) by reason of engagement of theplate 82 with the lowerend face of. the plunger. 66, the spring 68- being stronger than thespring 14. By this movement the lever 59 operates the lever 55 to causethe latch 54 to release the band-applying mechanism. As the jack nearsthe end of its forward swinging movement the plunger 99 snaps downwardlyoff the plate 02, so that the parts assume their normal positionsillustrated in Fig. 1. When the band-applying mechanism is thus releasedthe frame 22 is returned to its initial position by a spring-pressedplunger 84 which is mounted in the frame I9 and engages a downwardlyextending tail portion of the frame 22, and the lever 25 is swungforwardly about the pin 24 by the spring 30 and the springs 42.

As thus far described the construction herein shown is substantiallylike that disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No.2,20'1, 819. For purposes of this invention there is combined with theauxiliary heel band means also carried by the movable jack for grippingthe toe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise of the last.Pivotally mounted on horizontal pivot pins IOI supported by a forwardlyextending bracket I02 on the frame 22 are two short forwardly extendingbracket arms I03 of substantially L-shape as viewed from the side, thefront end portions of these arms being turned downwardly. The lower endsof the downturned portions of the arms I03 are united by a block Iextending between them, and rotatably mounted in a bearing in this blockis a forwardly and rearwardly extending stem I01. Formed on the rear endof the stem I01 immediately behind the block I05 is a head I03 on whichis secured for vertical adjustment an upwardly extending bar I09. At itsupper end this bar supports a toe gripper IIO, and in order to maintainthis gripper in a definite but adjustable position lengthwise of theshoe a spring III connected to the bar I09 tends to swing the bar andthe bracket arms I03 about the pins IOI in the direction to carry thegripper toward the toe end of the last, the position of the gripperbeing adjustably determined by a screw II3 which is threaded in abracket I I4 on the frame member I9 and the head of which is engaged bya plate on the bar I09. The bar I09 may be readily swung to the right orthe left about the axis of the stem I01 to position the toe gripper invthe appropriate relation to the toe ends of the uppers of right and leftshoes.

The bar I09 is bifurcated at its upper end, and a horizontal pin II5extends transversely between its forks. An upwardly extending arm I i1has formed on its upper end a lower jaw II8 of the gripper, the armbeing pivotally mounted on the pin H5 and being normally inclined in arearward direction relatively to the bar I09. The jaw H8 is preferablyabout two inches in width so as to engage a substantial portion of thetoe end of the upper. An upper jaw I24 is pivotally mounted on a pin I25on the arm H1, and for controlling the arm there is provided aspring-pressed plunger II9 which is mounted in a boss I20 on the arm andengages 2. lug I22 on the bar I09. A spring I23 in the boss I20 tends toforce the plunger I l9 downwardly and thus to swing the arm H1 in arearward direction. To limit such rearward movement of the arm andthereby to determine the initial position of the gripper the arm isprovided with 2. lug I26 arranged to engage the lower face of a flangeon the lug I22. When the gripper is in this initial position its jaws,are located somewhat lower and farther rearwardly of the machine thanillustrated in Fig. 1.

The jaw I24 is formed on the rear end of a lever I28 pivotally mountedbetween its ends on the pin I25, and the front end of this lever isconnected by a link I21 to the upper end of a lever I29 pivotallymounted on the pin H5 in the bifurcated portion of the arm II1. Mountedin a socket in the lever I29 is a spring I4I which bears against ashoulder on the boss I20 of the arm H1 and tends to swing the lever I29in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 1), thereby holding the upper javwI24 initially upraised from the lower jaw. The lever I29 is providedwith a downwardly and forwardly extending arm I3I on which is pivotallymounted a trunnion block I33. Extending downwardly through this trunnionblock is a rod I35, and mounted on this rod between the trunnion blockand a nut I39 on the rod is a compression spring I31. It will thus beseen that by downward movement the rod I35 will act through the springI31 first to swing lever I29 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1)relatively to the arm II1 to move the jaw I24 into upper-grippingrelation to the jaw H8, and that by continued downward movement it willswing the arml II1 together with the lever I29 against the resistance ofthe spring I23 to cause the gripper to pull the upper in an upward andforward direction. For thus operating the rod I35 there is fast on itslower end a small block I43 extending from opposite sides of which is arod I44. Attached to the opposite ends of this rod are wire cables I45extending downward partly around pulleys I46 on the bar I09 and thencerearwardly and downwardly over pulleys I42 supported on the casting I6.The two cables I45 are connected at their lower ends to the oppositeends of a bar I41 which is thus suspended by the cables. Connected atits upper end .to the bar I41 is a third cable I48, and the lower end ofthis third cable is connected to the rear end of a floating lever I49.Connected to the front end of this floating lever is the previouslymentioned cable 49 for operating the lever 25, this cable extendingupward loosely through an opening in the bar I41. The floating lever I49is connected to the treadle 52 by a link I50 located nearer the rear endof the floating lever than the front end thereof to provide the leverwith a short arm connected to the cable I48 and a longer arm connectedto the cable 49. By reason of this construction depression of thetreadle causes the toe gripper to close and to begin its pull on theupper before the auxiliary heel band is applied to the shoe.

The bar I09 which supports the toe gripper has projecting forwardly fromits opposite sides a pair of plates I5I between which the block I43 onthe gripper-operating rod I35 is received as the gripper is operated topull the upper. To hold the toe' gripper against retractive movementafter the pull has been applied to the upper, there is provided a latchI52 arranged to engage a lug on the block I43, as illustrated in Fig. 1,this latch being pivotally mounted on a pin I53 extending between theplates I5I. The latch is provided with a forwardly extending arm I54 byengagement with which the operator may withdraw the latch to permit thereturn of the gripper to its starting position. A spring I55 normallyholds the latch against a stop pin (not shown), and as the rod I35approaches its lowest position the latch is swung against the resistanceof this spring until it snaps over the lug on the block I43.

In the use of the machine constructed as described the operator adjuststhe frame It] upwardly or downwardly, if necessary, to position theauxiliary band M at the proper height for the work to be operated upon,and also, if necessary, adjusts the forward ends of the band toward orfrom each other by turning the rod 35. By the first adjustment the toegripper also is raised or lowered, and the gripper may also beindependently adjusted in various ways as hereinbefore described. If themachine is to operate on stitchdown shoes of a type in which the heelend of the upper is fastened in lasted position to a loose heel-seatpiece as distinguished from a complete insole, the operator positionssuch a heel-seat piece on the bottom of the last and assembles an upperon the last with a counter in its heel-end portion. He then mounts thelast on the last pin 4 while the jack is in its forwardly inclinedposition and while the auxiliary heel band occupies the positionillustrated by broken lines in Fig. 1. The operator then positions thetoe end of the upper between the jaws of the toe gripper and adjusts theheel end of. the upper to the desired position heightwise of the last.While holding the heel end of the upper in proper adjusted relation tothe last the operator depresses the treadle 52, thereby operating thetoe gripper to grip the toe end of the upper and to pull it in a forwardand upward direction and also operating the auxiliary heel band to clampthe upper about the heel end of the last. In this operation, ashereinbefore described, the toe gripper begins to pull the upper beforethe auxiliary heel band becomes effective to clamp the upper. As alsohereinbefore described, the auxiliary heel band is moved lengthwise ofthe last to clamp the upper against the heel-end face of the last beforeit forward ends are moved inwardly to clamp the upper against the sidesof the last. By the time such clamping of the upper against the sides ofthe last takes place the upper'will have been subjected to such tensionby the toe gripper that its heel end is pulled tightly about the lastand is free from wrinkles along the sides of the last. It will beunderstood that after the depression of the treadle 52 the auxiliaryheel band is held in upper-clamping position by the latch 54 and thethat they also partake of such tipping movement of the shoe in onedirection or another or such bodily lateral movement of the shoe astheoperator may effect in the manner hereinbefore described to position theshoe in proper relation to the lasting instrumentalities. After the workhas been properly positioned, the operator starts the power operation ofthe machine and the heel-end lasting operation is then performed in themanner characteristic of machines of the illustrated type. In thisoperation the toe gripper maintains its pull on the upper and positionsit at the proper height along the sides of the last forwardly of theheel sat as the wipers wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over theheel seat piece." When the lasting .operationhas been completed the jackis permitted to swing forwardlyto its initial position, and in this movement of the jack thelatch 54 is operated by the lever 59 to release themechanism which operates the auxiliary heel band and permit thismechanismand the band to return to their starting positions. Bydepression of the arm I54 the operator also releases the toe gripper andpermits it to return to its starting position.

While the invention has been described more particularly with referenceto the lastong of stitchdown shoes, it is contemplated that under someconditions it may be used also with beneficial results in lasting theheel ends of shoes of other kinds.

Having described the invention, what I :claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a heel bandfor embracing and clamping an upper about the heel end of a last, and awork support movable from a work-receiving position to present the heelend of the last and upper within said'band, of an auxiliary clampingdevice arranged to be positioned between said band and the upper foralso clamping the upper against the last and means for operating saidauxiliary clamping device to clamp the and arranged to be positionedbetween said band I and the upper for also clamping the upper againstthe last, a toe gripperalso movable withthe work support, and means foroperating said auxiliary clamping device to clamp the upper and for alsooperating said toe gripper to apply.

a lengthwise pull to the upper prior tothe workpresenting movement ofthe work support.

3. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a heel bandfor embracing and clamping an upper about the heel end of {a last, and awork support movable from a work-receiving position to present the heelend of the last and upper within said band, of an auxiliary heel bandmovable with the work support and arranged to be positioned between saidfirstnamed band and the upper for clamping the upper against the lastbefore it is clamped "by said first-named band, and means also movablewith the work support for gripping the toe end of the upper and pullingthe upper lengthwise of the last.

4. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a heel bandfor embracing and clamping an upper about the heel end of a last, and awork support movable from a work-receiving position to present the heelend of the last and upper within said band, of. an auxiliary clampingdevice movable with the work support and arranged to be positionedbetween said band and the upper for also clamping the upper against thelast, a toe gripper also movable with the work support for gripping thetoe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise of the last, and amember movable by the operator and common to said auxiliary clampingdevice :and

toe gripper 'for operating them prior to the work presenting movement ofthe work support.

- 5. Ina machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a heelband for embracing and clamping an upper about the heel end of a last,and a Work support movable from a work-receiving positionto present theheel end of the last and upper within said band, of an auxiliaryclamping device movable with the work support and arranged to bepositioned between said band and the upper for also clamping the upperagainst the last, a toe gripper also movable with the work support forgripping the toe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise ofthe last, a member movable by the operator, and connections between saidmember and the auxiliary clamping device and the toe gripper foroperating said gripper to pull the upper and for thenapplying saiddevice in clamping relation to the upper as the gripper is furtheroperated by said member prior to the work-presenting movement of thework support.

6. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a heel bandfor embracing and clamping an upper about the heel end of a 'last, of anauxiliary clamping device arranged to be positioned between said bandand the upper for also clamping the upper against the last, means foroperating said auxiliary clamping device to clamp the upper before it isclamped by said heel band, and a toe gripper arranged to apply alengthwise pull to the upper also before it is clamped by said heelband.

'7 In a machine for operating on shoes, the

combination with a heel band for embracing and clamping an upper aboutthe heel end of a last, of an auxiliary clamping device arranged to bepositioned between said band and the upper {for also clamping the upperagainst the last, 'a toe gripper for pulling the upper lengthwise of thelast, and a member movable by the operator and commonto said auxiliaryclamping device and toegripper for operating them before the upper isclamped by said heel band.

'8. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a worksupport arranged to receive a last with an upper thereon and movable tocarry the work into position to be operated upon, of a device movablewith the work support 'for clamping the upper about the heel end ofthe'last, a toe gripper also movable with the work support forgripping'the toe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise ofthe last, and a member movable by the operator and common to saidclamp-ing device and toe gripper for operating them.

9. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a worksupport arranged to receive a last with an upper thereon, of a deviceforclamping the upper about the heel end of the last, a toe gripper forgripping the toe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise ofthe last, a member movable by the operator, and connections between saidmember and said. device and gripper for operating the gripper to .pullthe upper and for then applying said device in clamping relation to theupper as the gripper 'is'iurther operated by said member.

10. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a worksupport arranged to receive a last with an upper thereon, of a device"for clamping the upper about the heel end of 'the last, a-toe gripperfor gripping the toe end of Ithe upper andpulling the upper lengthwiseof the ilast, a member movable by the operator, at floating lever, meansconnecting said member to the floating lever at a point nearer one endof said lever than the other end to provide the lever with arms ofunequal lengths, and means connecting the short and long arms of saidlever respectively to the toe gripper and the clamping device foroperating them by movement of said member.

11. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a worksupport arranged to receive a last with an upper thereon, of a devicefor clamping the upper about the heel end of the last, a member movableby the operator for operating said device to clamp the upper firstagainst the end face of the last and then against the sides of the last,a toe gripper" for gripping the toe end of the upper and pulling theupper lengthwise of he last, and means for operating the toe gripper bysaid member to apply a pull to the upper before the upper is clampedagainst the sides of the last by said clamping device.

12. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a jackarranged to support a last bottom upward with an upper thereon andmounted for work-presenting movement ina direction lengthwise of thelast, said jack including a post movable upward relatively to otherportions of the jack to lift the work, of a device carried by the jackfor clamping the upper against the heel end of the last, and a toegripper also carried by the jack for gripping the toe end of the upperand pulling the upper lengthwise of the last, said clamping device andgripper being supported by said post so as to move upwardly with thepost.

13. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a jackarranged to support a last with an upper thereon and mounted forwork-presenting movement in a direction lengthwise of the last, saidjack including a heel-end support for the last mounted to tip with thelast relatively to other portions of the jack to permit adjustment ofthe last, of a device carried by the jack for clamping the upper againstthe heel end of the last, and a toe gripper also carried by the jack forgripping thetoe end of the upper and pulling the upper lengthwise of thelast, said clamping device and gripper being supported by said heel-endsupport so as to partake of the tipping movements of the last.

14. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a supportfor a last with an upper thereon, of a toe gripper for gripping the toeend of the upper, the gripper being mounted for swinging movementlengthwise of the last to pull the upper, a support for said gripperrelatively to which it is thus movable, said support being mounted toswing with the gripper lengthwise of the last to adjust the gripperrelatively to the last, a spring tending to swing said support in thedirection to carry the gripper toward the last, and means cooperatingwith said spring for adjustably positioning the'gripper lengthwise ofthe last.

15. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with a supportfor a last with an upper thereon, of a toe gripper for gripping the toeend of the upper, the gripper being mounted for swinging movementlengthwise of the last to pull the upper, and a support for said gripperrelatively to which it is thus movable, said support being mounted toswing with the gripper both lengthwise and widthwise of the last to vary16. In a machine for operating on shoes. the

combination with a support for a last with an upper thereon, of a toegripper for gripping the toe end of the upper, the gripper being mountedfor swinging movement lengthwise of the last to pull the upper, asupport for said gripper relatively to which it is thus movable, saidsupport being mounted for swinging movement widthwise of the last tovary the position of the gripper relatively to the last and being alsoadjustable with the gripper lengthwise of the last, and a spring formaintaining said support in adjusted position lengthwise of the lastwhile permitting it to swing widthwise of the last.

17. In a machine for operating on shoes, the

combination with a support for a last with an upper thereon, of a toegripper for gripping the toe end of the upper, said gripper comprising ajaw-carrying arm pivotally mounted to swing lengthwise of the last andhaving an uppergripping jaw movably mounted thereon, a lever mounted toswing lengthwise of the last, a link connecting said lever to saidmovable jaw for closing said jaw on the upper and for then operatingsaid arm to pull the upper by movement 10 of said lever, and a treadlefor operating said lever.

GEORGE CLARKE.

